Blog : Greg Sleter, Executive Editor

Throughout 2017 there has been much discussion about the future of retailing, with the crystal balls of some showing a future without stores and a consumer base using their digital devices to buy what they need from the comfort of their living rooms.

The clock had barely ticked past midnight on November 1 and several retailers, in announcing holiday season sales, were tripping over themselves like Black Friday shoppers trying to buy a new television.

So Walmart wants to stock my refrigerator? Really? There’s something off-putting and a bit creepy about a Walmart employee entering my home and putting away my groceries. I don’t even go into my mother’s refrigerator without first asking.

The holiday shopping season has moved past Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday, and retailers are now totaling their receipts and wondering what more they can do to get shoppers to dip deeper into their wallets.

The fourth quarter has arrived and with it the final preparations by retailers for the holiday season. While the first three quarters of 2016 were largely unspectacular across a number of housewares product segments, all eyes are now watching what steps retailers will take to drive product into the hands of consumers.

Current Issue

Executive Editor Greg Sleter previews the February 19 edition of HomeWorld Business, which includes a recap of the 2018 Housewares Design Awards and a preview of the expanded Smart Home pavilion at the upcoming International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago. Play video